Olivia Wilde Talks Colin Farrell and Liam Neeson

Olivia Wilde had her big break thanks to roles on television shows such as The O.C. and House, but she credits The Gaiety School for honing her drama skills.

“I know it sounds funny but Colin Farrell was seriously like God to my whole class at the Gaiety…We had a photo of him in the in the studio and there were pictures of him all over the school.”

However, once she hit the big time in Hollywood, her own photo was then given pride of place in the acting school’s hall of fame.

“A girl came up to me in a coffee shop in New York and said ‘I was a student at the Gaiety School and we just loved you and had your photo on the wall and everyone dreams of having your career,’” she recalls. “That’s when I felt yes, that’s amazing because my time in Dublin, that’s really what got me to where I am today. I learned a huge amount from the Irish style of acting and it’s served me well.”

The 30-year-old actress was born Olivia Cockburn and spent her childhood summers at her Irish grandfather’s home in Ardmore, Co Waterford.

The mum-of-one is intent on making a movie based in the picturesque South East countryside, but has yet to find the right script.

“It’s so close to my heart…we spent summers on the beach in Waterford and riding horses near my grandfather’s house, I probably have such a romantic notion of Ireland but honestly my dream is to make a movie there.”